Forbidden Land – CH 016

The next day at noon, Chen Rong came to see Zhang Chao again. When she arrived at Room 123, Lin Yi’ang was already sitting there. Upon seeing her, he grinned broadly. “What, Dr. Chen’s here to see Young Master Zhang again? Be careful you don’t get counseled yourself while you’re counseling!”

Zhang Chao punched him and yelled, “Get lost!”

Chen Rong didn’t seem to care much but asked Zhang Chao, “Are you going to study tonight?”

Zhang Chao shook his head. “You want to come with me again?”

Chen Rong seemed a little embarrassed; the question made it seem like she was trying to cling to Zhang Chao.

Zhang Chao smiled and said, “I’m going to study, but tonight I’m going with my girlfriend.”

“Oh, Bai Qiu?” Chen Rong asked. Lin Yi’ang seemed a little uncomfortable upon hearing this and quietly left.

Zhang Chao didn’t notice but simply said, “Yes, you aren’t disappointed to hear that, are you?”

Chen Rong did indeed show a slight look of disappointment on her face. Zhang Chao, seeing this, was secretly delighted, thinking to himself, “When did I become so charming? Even a female PhD student is smitten with me!”

Chen Rong continued, “When did you two make your appointment?”

Zhang Chao replied, “She came to see me last night.”

Chen Rong asked curiously, “Last night, didn’t you get back quite late?”

Zhang Chao said, “Yeah, so what?”

Chen Rong shook her head. “Nothing. How long are you two going to study?”

Zhang Chao said, “I don’t know. Hey, senior, don’t even think about me. I’m not interested in you.”

Chen Rong blushed, unsure what to say, and turned to leave.

Zhang Chao, seeing this, hurriedly chased after her, saying, “Chen Rong, I was just joking! Don’t cry!”

Chen Rong forced a smile. “It’s okay, I have some things to do; I’ll go now.” With that, she turned and left.

Zhang Chao didn’t force the issue. Occasionally, a counselor would appear; she was quite attractive. Every man would want the best of both worlds, but Bai Qiu was always petty, and he wouldn’t even dare to entertain such thoughts.

Evening arrived quickly. Bai Qiu and Zhang Chao had arranged to meet at 6:30 PM in Room 505 of East Building 1. Zhang Chao sat there waiting at 6:00. Room 505 was a large classroom, but being on a high floor, most people were too lazy to climb, and there was no air conditioning, so there were fewer than ten people in total. Zhang Chao sat there casually reading for a while, and before he knew it, it was 6:30 PM, but Bai Qiu hadn’t appeared.

He waited and waited until 7:30 PM, but Bai Qiu still hadn’t shown up. He couldn’t help but feel anxious. Although Bai Qiu had told him not to call Zhu Xiaoyu, he couldn’t resist leaving the classroom and calling Zhu Xiaoyu’s cell phone.

As soon as the call connected, Zhang Chao asked, “Xiaoyu, it’s me. Excuse me, is Bai Qiu there?”

“No, what’s up?” Zhu Xiaoyu’s answer seemed firm and decisive; they really had a fight. Zhang Chao could only laugh. “So, do you know where she went?”

Zhu Xiaoyu bluntly replied, “No, don’t call me again!” and hung up.

Zhang Chao muttered under his breath, “Damn it, what a load of crap!” Helpless, he returned to the classroom and studied until 8 o’clock.

Just then, Zhang Chao’s phone rang. He saw it was Chen Rong calling and quickly went outside the classroom. He answered, “Chen Rong, what’s up now?”

Chen Rong said, “Are you studying with Bai Qiu?”

Zhang Chao was annoyed, thinking, “What business is it of yours whether I’m studying or not?” But then he thought, “She’s a woman, after all, so concerned about where I am,” and felt a little smug. He replied, “No, we agreed to meet at 6:30, but I’ve been waiting for her until 8. She’s still not here. No one from the dorm is here either.”

“Oh,” Chen Rong’s voice sounded somewhat pleased, “Then come back quickly; I have something to tell you.”

Zhang Chao asked, “What is it?”

Chen Rong hesitated for a moment, then said, “It’s about Bai Qiu.”

Zhang Chao’s expression tightened. “What about Bai Qiu?!”

Chen Rong said, “It’s a long story; come back quickly.”

Zhang Chao asked impatiently, “What is it? Tell me already!”

Chen Rong said, “I’ll tell you when you get back. Lin Yi’ang and I are waiting for you.”

“Lin Yi’ang?” Zhang Chao was shocked. His brother-in-law was also waiting for her? Could something have happened to Bai Qiu? He finally said fiercely, “Chen Rong, I’m coming back right now. If you dare to lie to me, I won’t treat you like a woman anymore—”

He didn’t hang up, but Chen Rong cleverly hung up first. Zhang Chao quickly went back to the classroom to grab his bag and hurriedly ran downstairs.